Springfield woman admits to buying bullets used to kill 2 people

A Springfield woman admitted Friday she bought the bullets used last year in a double-homicide.

Nyadia Burden, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a Nov. 1 shooting on Locust Street where Aaron Hampton and Steven Marler were killed and two others were injured.

Burden wasn't there when the shooting took place, but prosecutors say she knew what was happening and she bought the bullets the shooters used.

Friday's plea deal is significant for Burden, who was facing two first-degree murder charges and the potential of a lifetime behind bars. Now, prosecutors have agreed to cap their recommendation for her at 7 years in prison.

Burden will be sentenced at a later date, possibly years from now when her co-defendants have their cases resolved.

Prosecutors say Burden went to the Academy Sports store in Springfield this past October and bought bullets for Luis Perez, Aaron Anderson and Sabrina Starr. They needed her since Anderson, 20, was too young to buy bullets and Perez did not have proper ID.

According to police, Perez, Anderson and Starr planned to shoot up a home in the 900 block of East Locust Street after Perez had been kicked out by the residents there.

Early in the morning on Nov. 1, police say Perez, Anderson and Starr went to the house and carried out the shooting while Burden stayed home, since she was pregnant.

Police say the violence continued the next day when Perez allegedly killed Starr.

In the wake of the killings, Perez, Anderson and Burden were all charged with first-degree murder.

The case generated national interest when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement criticized Middlesex County New Jersey for not holding Perez in jail in December 2017. ICE said it had asked that Perez be held in jail while it started deportation proceedings against him since he is originally from Mexico and was in the country illegally. Middlesex County has a policy of declining requests by ICE to detain some inmates, if those people have not been convicted of certain serious offenses.

Prosecutors announced Monday they are going after the death penalty in Perez's case.

Anderson's case, meanwhile, is set to go to trial in September 2020.

Burden appeared in court Friday with her attorney James Hayes in front of Judge David Jones. Her case has been set for a status conference in December.